Work will be carried out in the following areas: (1) Isolation and characterization of omega protein mutants for the elucidation of the biological role(s) of this enzyme. (2) Characterization of the covalent intermediate formed between omega proteins and DNA. (3) Testing of the requirement of omega protein in DNA replication by the use of antibodies against omega in in vitro systems. (4) Kinetics of RNA polymerase binding to restriction fragments containing promotor sites. (5)Chemical modification of promotor fragments for the elucidation of features of the promotor sequences necessary for recognition by RNA polymerase.